WORLDWIDE FUGITIVE ALERT,Fugitives, as a result of their criminal activity, pose a threat to public safety worldwide. Fugitives are mobile and opportunistic. They frequently finance their continued flight from the law by further criminal activities, which respect no traditional political or geographical boundaries and may result in criminal charges in more than one country.

Friday, 29 February 2008

Cosme, Jose Rangel, 25, and Hernan Garza, 27, were arrested about 7 p.m. Wednesday at a McDonald's in the 3700 block of the Gulf Freeway in Dickinson, police reported. Rangel and Garza are Rosharon residents, police said.Each was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver more than 400 grams. Bond was set at $50,000 for each man.The three were not in the Galveston County Jail this morning. It was unclear whether they are in federal custody in Houston or have posted bonds.The alleged possession charge is a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine up to $10,000, police reported.

Cosme, Jose Rangel, 25, and Hernan Garza, 27, were arrested about 7 p.m. Wednesday at a McDonald's in the 3700 block of the Gulf Freeway in Dickinson, police reported. Rangel and Garza are Rosharon residents, police said.Each was charged with possession of cocaine with intent to deliver more than 400 grams. Bond was set at $50,000 for each man.The three were not in the Galveston County Jail this morning. It was unclear whether they are in federal custody in Houston or have posted bonds.The alleged possession charge is a first-degree felony punishable by five to 99 years or life in prison and a fine up to $10,000, police reported.

Police said they conducted a traffic stop on Wednesday near Ellice Avenue and Century Street around 4:30 p.m., and after searching the vehicle, found two kilos of cocaine and $30,000. The seizure of the drugs and cash prompted the arrest of the two men in the vehicle -- police then said their investigation led them to search a home on Strathcona Street. Inside the home they found another nine kilos of cocaine worth $385,000 in tightly wrapped bricks, along with a small amount of crack, $55,000 in cash and nearly 1.5 kilos of Benzocaine."It's an incredible seizure," said Const. Nick Paulet.Three men, one 24 and the other two 22, face drug trafficking and possession charges.None of the men has a criminal record, and it's not known where the drugs came from, police said. Sgt. Darrin Kruger of the Winnipeg police street crime unit said the Strathcona Street home was not a cocaine production facility, and called the seizure "a little dent" in a much larger problem. "There's a lot more in the city," Kruger added.It's the second publicly-announced cocaine bust by city police in the last two weeks.On Feb. 16, police charged two men after they raided a home on Partridge Avenue.It's believed that house was a cocaine-production facility, as an industrial press to press the drug into bricks was seized along with more than $100,000 worth of the drug, along with marijuana, cash and other drug agents. Neither of the seizures is believed to be linked to organized crime -- which may indicate more people are willing to risk running their own independent drug operations for a piece of the huge profits involved. The sheer number of addicts on the streets is pushing up demand, Kruger said. Brian Paterson of Tamarack, a West Broadway second-stage residential drug treatment centre, said as many as 75 per cent of people coming through their doors are s addicted to cocaine.Paterson said he's seen the use of cocaine and crack become "firmly entrenched" among Tamarack's clients in past years.He said the drugs have taken hold in Winnipeg's inner-city, largely due to how inexpensive and easy to get they are, either on the street or through a "dial-a-dealer."He added cocaine and crack addiction is compounded over generations as addicts have children who become addicted in turn."Over a couple of generations it really adds up," Paterson said.

Police said they conducted a traffic stop on Wednesday near Ellice Avenue and Century Street around 4:30 p.m., and after searching the vehicle, found two kilos of cocaine and $30,000. The seizure of the drugs and cash prompted the arrest of the two men in the vehicle -- police then said their investigation led them to search a home on Strathcona Street. Inside the home they found another nine kilos of cocaine worth $385,000 in tightly wrapped bricks, along with a small amount of crack, $55,000 in cash and nearly 1.5 kilos of Benzocaine."It's an incredible seizure," said Const. Nick Paulet.Three men, one 24 and the other two 22, face drug trafficking and possession charges.None of the men has a criminal record, and it's not known where the drugs came from, police said. Sgt. Darrin Kruger of the Winnipeg police street crime unit said the Strathcona Street home was not a cocaine production facility, and called the seizure "a little dent" in a much larger problem. "There's a lot more in the city," Kruger added.It's the second publicly-announced cocaine bust by city police in the last two weeks.On Feb. 16, police charged two men after they raided a home on Partridge Avenue.It's believed that house was a cocaine-production facility, as an industrial press to press the drug into bricks was seized along with more than $100,000 worth of the drug, along with marijuana, cash and other drug agents. Neither of the seizures is believed to be linked to organized crime -- which may indicate more people are willing to risk running their own independent drug operations for a piece of the huge profits involved. The sheer number of addicts on the streets is pushing up demand, Kruger said. Brian Paterson of Tamarack, a West Broadway second-stage residential drug treatment centre, said as many as 75 per cent of people coming through their doors are s addicted to cocaine.Paterson said he's seen the use of cocaine and crack become "firmly entrenched" among Tamarack's clients in past years.He said the drugs have taken hold in Winnipeg's inner-city, largely due to how inexpensive and easy to get they are, either on the street or through a "dial-a-dealer."He added cocaine and crack addiction is compounded over generations as addicts have children who become addicted in turn."Over a couple of generations it really adds up," Paterson said.

A man and a woman have been arrested over allegedly suppling heroin in the Kempsey area.Local detectives raided a property at Burnt Bridge yesterday and arrested a 23-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man.They found heroin and cash.The pair are due to face Port Macquarie court this morning charged with possessing and dealing a prohibited drug.

A man and a woman have been arrested over allegedly suppling heroin in the Kempsey area.Local detectives raided a property at Burnt Bridge yesterday and arrested a 23-year-old woman and a 47-year-old man.They found heroin and cash.The pair are due to face Port Macquarie court this morning charged with possessing and dealing a prohibited drug.

A Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel, two TSA officials indicted for helping to smuggle drugs onto airplanes, and a California evidence tech with sticky fingers and a bad habit. Just another week on the corrupt cop front. Let's get to it:In Brownsville, Texas, a Cameron County court bailiff was arrested last Friday on charges he was dealing cocaine and selling high-powered weapons to Mexico's Gulf Cartel. Oscar Pena, 26, was one of two men arrested after a five-month joint investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) known as Operation Dirty Pig. His charges range from weapons charges to operating a continuing criminal enterprise to possession of cocaine. In raids associated with the arrests, police seized 14 assault rifles, five semi-automatic handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, large amounts of ammunition, a bullet-proof vest, $3,000 in cash, and more than a kilo of cocaine.In Atlanta, two Transportation Security Administration officers and a Delta Airlines employee were indicted Tuesday on charges related to an alleged drug-smuggling operation at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. TSA employees Jon Patton, 44, and Andre Mays, 24, and Delta employee Leslie Adgar, 42, are charged with conspiring to distribute narcotics and attempted distribution of cocaine and heroin. They went down after they agreed to let a man smuggle two kilos of cocaine past security and onto a Delta flight to New York in exchange for $8,000 in December. Unfortunately for the Atlanta trio, their smuggler was also a snitch for the DEA who set them up for two more runs, this time with fake cocaine and heroin. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $4 million. The trio are currently out on bond.In Vacaville, California, a former Solano County sheriff's evidence technician pleaded no-contest last Friday to seven felony counts related to the theft of pharmaceutical drugs stored in an evidence room. Sean Colfax Wilson, 35, was facing a 179-count criminal complaint when he copped a plea to two counts of possessing Vicodin and Oxycontin for sale, three counts of burglary, one count of embezzlement of evidence and one count of falsifying evidence. Wilson, who had worked as an evidence tech for the county for two years, was arrested in December 2007 after investigators discovered a large variety of prescription drugs had gone missing. After his arrest, Wilson's attorney told the court Wilson had a substance abuse problem and had taken the drugs for personal use, but he still copped to possession for sale. He faces an April sentencing date and he sits in jail until then.

A Texas court bailiff accused of peddling cocaine and selling guns to the Gulf Cartel, two TSA officials indicted for helping to smuggle drugs onto airplanes, and a California evidence tech with sticky fingers and a bad habit. Just another week on the corrupt cop front. Let's get to it:In Brownsville, Texas, a Cameron County court bailiff was arrested last Friday on charges he was dealing cocaine and selling high-powered weapons to Mexico's Gulf Cartel. Oscar Pena, 26, was one of two men arrested after a five-month joint investigation by local authorities, the FBI, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) known as Operation Dirty Pig. His charges range from weapons charges to operating a continuing criminal enterprise to possession of cocaine. In raids associated with the arrests, police seized 14 assault rifles, five semi-automatic handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, large amounts of ammunition, a bullet-proof vest, $3,000 in cash, and more than a kilo of cocaine.In Atlanta, two Transportation Security Administration officers and a Delta Airlines employee were indicted Tuesday on charges related to an alleged drug-smuggling operation at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. TSA employees Jon Patton, 44, and Andre Mays, 24, and Delta employee Leslie Adgar, 42, are charged with conspiring to distribute narcotics and attempted distribution of cocaine and heroin. They went down after they agreed to let a man smuggle two kilos of cocaine past security and onto a Delta flight to New York in exchange for $8,000 in December. Unfortunately for the Atlanta trio, their smuggler was also a snitch for the DEA who set them up for two more runs, this time with fake cocaine and heroin. The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison and a fine of up to $4 million. The trio are currently out on bond.In Vacaville, California, a former Solano County sheriff's evidence technician pleaded no-contest last Friday to seven felony counts related to the theft of pharmaceutical drugs stored in an evidence room. Sean Colfax Wilson, 35, was facing a 179-count criminal complaint when he copped a plea to two counts of possessing Vicodin and Oxycontin for sale, three counts of burglary, one count of embezzlement of evidence and one count of falsifying evidence. Wilson, who had worked as an evidence tech for the county for two years, was arrested in December 2007 after investigators discovered a large variety of prescription drugs had gone missing. After his arrest, Wilson's attorney told the court Wilson had a substance abuse problem and had taken the drugs for personal use, but he still copped to possession for sale. He faces an April sentencing date and he sits in jail until then.

Thursday, 28 February 2008

Sid Clark, 47, needed hospital treatment after crash-landing his Cessna plane into conifer trees in an elderly couple's back garden in thick fog on Saturday.He was quizzed about cultivating cannabis after 300 plants were found during the police raid on Tuesday evening.Mr Clark has now been released on bail for further investigation.He had taken friend Tim Des Vignes, who was released from prison for a day nearing the end of a sentence for cocaine smuggling, for a flight when it narrowly missed the couple's home in Lyminge in thick fog.Mr Clark's arrest came after he confessed to Yourmaidstone on Tuesday morning that he was a former heroin addict who had enjoyed the high life in a variety of Asian countries - including Thailand and China.He openly spoke of his past at his luxury four-bedroom home in Barming.But the pilot denied that he had been taking Des Vignes, 53, on a drugs pick-up.He said: “We had a full tank of petrol - but we weren’t going to Europe.“We would have had to submit a detailed flight plan to do that and if we landed in somewhere like Holland we would have been arrested for making an illegal flight.“I would never have taken that risk.“Police have got my log book - they can see I was on a local flight.”The father-of-one revealed he planned to take his friend - who was finishing an eight-stretch at cushy open jail Blantyre House in nearby Goudhurst - for a pleasure flight to give him a “treat”.But the pair quickly hit dense fog when they took off from Rochester Airport to fly to Dover and back.He said: “It was very cloudy and my instruments were giving me a false reading. I was a lot lower to the ground than I thought. It was then I saw the trees and we just went straight into them.“We were lucky we cleared the house. We were both hurt although lucky not to have been seriously injured. I feel traumatised now - I don’t think I can face flying again for a month.”Mr Clark learnt to fly while doing “coastal trips” in Thailand eight years ago.He then moved back to Britain where he applied for his national pilot’s licence, the NPPL, at Blackbushe airport near Camberley in Surrey.He said: “It’s great in Thailand - you don’t need a licence to fly. So when I got back it was really easy to get qualified because I already had a lot of experience.”

Sid Clark, 47, needed hospital treatment after crash-landing his Cessna plane into conifer trees in an elderly couple's back garden in thick fog on Saturday.He was quizzed about cultivating cannabis after 300 plants were found during the police raid on Tuesday evening.Mr Clark has now been released on bail for further investigation.He had taken friend Tim Des Vignes, who was released from prison for a day nearing the end of a sentence for cocaine smuggling, for a flight when it narrowly missed the couple's home in Lyminge in thick fog.Mr Clark's arrest came after he confessed to Yourmaidstone on Tuesday morning that he was a former heroin addict who had enjoyed the high life in a variety of Asian countries - including Thailand and China.He openly spoke of his past at his luxury four-bedroom home in Barming.But the pilot denied that he had been taking Des Vignes, 53, on a drugs pick-up.He said: “We had a full tank of petrol - but we weren’t going to Europe.“We would have had to submit a detailed flight plan to do that and if we landed in somewhere like Holland we would have been arrested for making an illegal flight.“I would never have taken that risk.“Police have got my log book - they can see I was on a local flight.”The father-of-one revealed he planned to take his friend - who was finishing an eight-stretch at cushy open jail Blantyre House in nearby Goudhurst - for a pleasure flight to give him a “treat”.But the pair quickly hit dense fog when they took off from Rochester Airport to fly to Dover and back.He said: “It was very cloudy and my instruments were giving me a false reading. I was a lot lower to the ground than I thought. It was then I saw the trees and we just went straight into them.“We were lucky we cleared the house. We were both hurt although lucky not to have been seriously injured. I feel traumatised now - I don’t think I can face flying again for a month.”Mr Clark learnt to fly while doing “coastal trips” in Thailand eight years ago.He then moved back to Britain where he applied for his national pilot’s licence, the NPPL, at Blackbushe airport near Camberley in Surrey.He said: “It’s great in Thailand - you don’t need a licence to fly. So when I got back it was really easy to get qualified because I already had a lot of experience.”

Daniel Gibson’s was stopped as he tried to get into Stockton’s Zanzibar nightclub on April 20 last year.After his arrest, 102 more tablets were discovered in his bedroom and another 36 in his car, Teesside Crown Court was told yesterday.Gibson said he would probably have supplied some to his girlfriend and to other friends, said prosecutor Deborah Sherwin.He told police he’d just bought 200 tablets for £90 to last a few weeks, and he would use 20 to 25 a night.Gibson, of Leam Lane, Stockton, admitted possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply.Nigel Soppitt, defending, said Gibson was “delusional” at the time, saw no harm in his lifestyle and stood inline at the club knowing people were being searched.He added Gibson was ostracised and bullied horrendously over a disability which took 20 operations to remedy.So he sought solace and escape in drug experimentation, took Ecstasy from the age of 15 and became “heavily dependent”.Mr Soppitt said Gibson knew his habits ruined his life and landed him in debt, and he had now changed his ways.He said Gibson had no previous convictions and was otherwise an “exemplary young man”.He had a close, supportive family, to whom he confessed his crime, and good references.The judge, Recorder Felicity Davies, told Gibson: “It became clear that you were in the habit of taking an enormous number, perhaps 60 tablets, over the course of each weekend.”She said his crime was without financial gain, and accepted he was now ashamed and had turned his life around.“All in all, you do seem to have come to your senses,” she added.She passed a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months with 180 hours’ unpaid work, and ordered him to pay the full £1,100 prosecution costs.

Daniel Gibson’s was stopped as he tried to get into Stockton’s Zanzibar nightclub on April 20 last year.After his arrest, 102 more tablets were discovered in his bedroom and another 36 in his car, Teesside Crown Court was told yesterday.Gibson said he would probably have supplied some to his girlfriend and to other friends, said prosecutor Deborah Sherwin.He told police he’d just bought 200 tablets for £90 to last a few weeks, and he would use 20 to 25 a night.Gibson, of Leam Lane, Stockton, admitted possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply.Nigel Soppitt, defending, said Gibson was “delusional” at the time, saw no harm in his lifestyle and stood inline at the club knowing people were being searched.He added Gibson was ostracised and bullied horrendously over a disability which took 20 operations to remedy.So he sought solace and escape in drug experimentation, took Ecstasy from the age of 15 and became “heavily dependent”.Mr Soppitt said Gibson knew his habits ruined his life and landed him in debt, and he had now changed his ways.He said Gibson had no previous convictions and was otherwise an “exemplary young man”.He had a close, supportive family, to whom he confessed his crime, and good references.The judge, Recorder Felicity Davies, told Gibson: “It became clear that you were in the habit of taking an enormous number, perhaps 60 tablets, over the course of each weekend.”She said his crime was without financial gain, and accepted he was now ashamed and had turned his life around.“All in all, you do seem to have come to your senses,” she added.She passed a nine-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months with 180 hours’ unpaid work, and ordered him to pay the full £1,100 prosecution costs.

Michael Layne Smith, 40, Kilgore, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute at least 500 grams but less than 1.5 kilograms of meth. Smith was indicted along with Jesse Joseph Montoya, 26, Raul Berumen Briseno, 29, both of Longview, and Santiago Montiel Aguirre, 30. Smith bought multiple ounces of meth from defendants in Longview. Briseno has pleaded guilty, admitting that on June 1, he received a telephone call from Smith and discussed meeting him to sell him one pound of meth. Briseno and Aguirre met Smith in Gregg County to distribute the drugs, but were arrested. Law enforcement searched Briseno's vehicle and found two cereal boxes, each containing 1 pound of meth. In U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis's court, U.S. Public Defender Ken Hawk said Smith had a "stunning" history of drug use and needed drug treatment in prison. Smith apologized to the judge, to his family and to society. "I don't want to define what kind of person I am by what I've done because that's not the case," he said. Smith agreed to forfeit a shotgun to the government in the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Moore. John Alex White, 29, of Longview, was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute at least 50 grams of meth. He was indicted in February 2007 with 15 others from Dallas and East Texas for being discovered in the Longview branch of "Operation Icebox," an investigation that began in 2003. White apologized for what he did and said he knew it was bad and that he let down his family and the United States. On Nov. 1, 2006, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at White's Longview apartment and discovered meth, White admitted. On Jan. 25, 2007, White was with his sister and co-defendant, Clara Arnette White, at her house when authorities conducted a search and found drugs there. White, who admitted to dealing meth, was defended by Clifton Roberson. Moore prosecuted the case.The investigation that began in January 2003 previously led to 19 people being convicted for their involvement in the Tyler-based organization that sold "ice" meth in Tyler, Shreveport and Miami. All 19, who were indicted in March 2006, have been sentenced. In February 2007, eight more people were indicted in the Tyler-based meth ring. Oscar Wade Smith, 37, Harrison County, was sentenced to six years in prison by Davis after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute less than 50 grams of meth and using a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. Smith apologized to the judge and to his family for the embarrassment he had caused them. He said he accepted responsibility for what he did, but he was not a bad person. If it wasn't for his divorce and losing his children, he said he didn't think he would have began using drugs. He asked the judge to give him a second change at life with his new wife. Davis sentenced him to one year in prison for the drug count and five years for the gun charge. He also recommended that he undergo drug treatment in prison. Moore prosecuted the case while defense attorney Alex Tandy, of Hurst, represented Smith.

Michael Layne Smith, 40, Kilgore, was sentenced to seven years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute at least 500 grams but less than 1.5 kilograms of meth. Smith was indicted along with Jesse Joseph Montoya, 26, Raul Berumen Briseno, 29, both of Longview, and Santiago Montiel Aguirre, 30. Smith bought multiple ounces of meth from defendants in Longview. Briseno has pleaded guilty, admitting that on June 1, he received a telephone call from Smith and discussed meeting him to sell him one pound of meth. Briseno and Aguirre met Smith in Gregg County to distribute the drugs, but were arrested. Law enforcement searched Briseno's vehicle and found two cereal boxes, each containing 1 pound of meth. In U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis's court, U.S. Public Defender Ken Hawk said Smith had a "stunning" history of drug use and needed drug treatment in prison. Smith apologized to the judge, to his family and to society. "I don't want to define what kind of person I am by what I've done because that's not the case," he said. Smith agreed to forfeit a shotgun to the government in the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Moore. John Alex White, 29, of Longview, was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute at least 50 grams of meth. He was indicted in February 2007 with 15 others from Dallas and East Texas for being discovered in the Longview branch of "Operation Icebox," an investigation that began in 2003. White apologized for what he did and said he knew it was bad and that he let down his family and the United States. On Nov. 1, 2006, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at White's Longview apartment and discovered meth, White admitted. On Jan. 25, 2007, White was with his sister and co-defendant, Clara Arnette White, at her house when authorities conducted a search and found drugs there. White, who admitted to dealing meth, was defended by Clifton Roberson. Moore prosecuted the case.The investigation that began in January 2003 previously led to 19 people being convicted for their involvement in the Tyler-based organization that sold "ice" meth in Tyler, Shreveport and Miami. All 19, who were indicted in March 2006, have been sentenced. In February 2007, eight more people were indicted in the Tyler-based meth ring. Oscar Wade Smith, 37, Harrison County, was sentenced to six years in prison by Davis after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess and distribute less than 50 grams of meth and using a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime. Smith apologized to the judge and to his family for the embarrassment he had caused them. He said he accepted responsibility for what he did, but he was not a bad person. If it wasn't for his divorce and losing his children, he said he didn't think he would have began using drugs. He asked the judge to give him a second change at life with his new wife. Davis sentenced him to one year in prison for the drug count and five years for the gun charge. He also recommended that he undergo drug treatment in prison. Moore prosecuted the case while defense attorney Alex Tandy, of Hurst, represented Smith.

Two people are in custody after some $800,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia were reportedly found in their luggage at the Guam International Airport. According to Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Nestor Licanto, the money was discovered by one of the TSA officers during a routine inspection at the terminal's check-in area at 5:30 a.m. Thursday. The luggage was to be on a flight bound for Manila.Licanto said law enforcement authorities were notified soon after the cash was found. Drug paraphernalia were also reportedly found in the luggage. An investigation has been launched by the Department of Customs and Quarantine. No arrests have been made yet.

Two people are in custody after some $800,000 in cash and drug paraphernalia were reportedly found in their luggage at the Guam International Airport. According to Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Nestor Licanto, the money was discovered by one of the TSA officers during a routine inspection at the terminal's check-in area at 5:30 a.m. Thursday. The luggage was to be on a flight bound for Manila.Licanto said law enforcement authorities were notified soon after the cash was found. Drug paraphernalia were also reportedly found in the luggage. An investigation has been launched by the Department of Customs and Quarantine. No arrests have been made yet.

Ronnie Rothenburg, of Wallace Street, and Stephen Stockall, of Marford Close, Kingsmead, both denied the smuggling bid but were found guilty and sentenced this morning at Southampton Crown Court.Customs officials found almost 14 kilogrammes of 100 per cent pure heroin were they pulled over a haulage lorry for examination at Newhaven docks, Sussex.When officers searched the vehicle, which had brought driving equipment from Spain, they discovered the class A drugs stashed behind speakers in the cab.The driver 27-year-old Rothenburg was immediately arrested, and the lorry owner Stockall, 47 was subsequently detained.Judge Derwin Hope said the foiled plot represented a major importation and they had been a vital cog' in a professional organsation.This was a most serious offence which merits a most serious punishment.

Ronnie Rothenburg, of Wallace Street, and Stephen Stockall, of Marford Close, Kingsmead, both denied the smuggling bid but were found guilty and sentenced this morning at Southampton Crown Court.Customs officials found almost 14 kilogrammes of 100 per cent pure heroin were they pulled over a haulage lorry for examination at Newhaven docks, Sussex.When officers searched the vehicle, which had brought driving equipment from Spain, they discovered the class A drugs stashed behind speakers in the cab.The driver 27-year-old Rothenburg was immediately arrested, and the lorry owner Stockall, 47 was subsequently detained.Judge Derwin Hope said the foiled plot represented a major importation and they had been a vital cog' in a professional organsation.This was a most serious offence which merits a most serious punishment.

According to Chief Deputy Terry Risner, “We are witnessing an increase in burglaries to residences, thefts and other criminal activity that is directly related to these narcotics. We as a community recently witnessed an increase in daylight residential burglaries in multi-county areas which may exceed over 100, in which prescription drugs were targeted as part of those residential burglaries.”In the early morning hours on Feb. 26, approximately 37 officers area law enforcement agencies conducted the service of numerous drug warrants throughout Jasper and Newton Counties.Those agencies included Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, Newton County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Rensselaer Police Department, DeMotte Police Department, Remington Police Department and Francesville Town Marshal.The arrest warrants were a cumulative action from Bi-State Drug Task Force Investigation in cooperation with the aforementioned agencies from August 2007 through the present.This drug investigation not only turned up the normally encountered drugs, including cocaine, heroin and marijuana, but also included a large amount of prescription narcotics. The investigation found that illegal sales of prescription narcotics is on the rise and is now being addressed by agencies such as the Bi-State Drug Task Force and local law enforcement.Charges in Jasper and Newton County ranged from dealing in a scheduled 2 through schedule 4 controlled substances, unlawful sale of legend drugs, dealing in marijuana, dealing in cocaine and theft.Twelve suspects were arrested in Jasper County and an additional two were arrested in Newton County. There are several warrants that have not yet been served as of this release.“Our office would like to recognize the hard work and dedication put forth by the various police officers from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, the Rensselaer City Police and the Bi-State Drug Task Force in investigating these cases,” said Kathryn O’Neall, prosecuting attorney. “We also want to recognize the efforts of the DeMotte Police Department, the Remington Town Marshal, the Francesville Town Marshal, the Newton County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police for their assistance in making the arrests of the individuals charged. Without their hard work and cooperation these cases could not have been filed.”

According to Chief Deputy Terry Risner, “We are witnessing an increase in burglaries to residences, thefts and other criminal activity that is directly related to these narcotics. We as a community recently witnessed an increase in daylight residential burglaries in multi-county areas which may exceed over 100, in which prescription drugs were targeted as part of those residential burglaries.”In the early morning hours on Feb. 26, approximately 37 officers area law enforcement agencies conducted the service of numerous drug warrants throughout Jasper and Newton Counties.Those agencies included Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, Newton County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police, Rensselaer Police Department, DeMotte Police Department, Remington Police Department and Francesville Town Marshal.The arrest warrants were a cumulative action from Bi-State Drug Task Force Investigation in cooperation with the aforementioned agencies from August 2007 through the present.This drug investigation not only turned up the normally encountered drugs, including cocaine, heroin and marijuana, but also included a large amount of prescription narcotics. The investigation found that illegal sales of prescription narcotics is on the rise and is now being addressed by agencies such as the Bi-State Drug Task Force and local law enforcement.Charges in Jasper and Newton County ranged from dealing in a scheduled 2 through schedule 4 controlled substances, unlawful sale of legend drugs, dealing in marijuana, dealing in cocaine and theft.Twelve suspects were arrested in Jasper County and an additional two were arrested in Newton County. There are several warrants that have not yet been served as of this release.“Our office would like to recognize the hard work and dedication put forth by the various police officers from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department, the Rensselaer City Police and the Bi-State Drug Task Force in investigating these cases,” said Kathryn O’Neall, prosecuting attorney. “We also want to recognize the efforts of the DeMotte Police Department, the Remington Town Marshal, the Francesville Town Marshal, the Newton County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police for their assistance in making the arrests of the individuals charged. Without their hard work and cooperation these cases could not have been filed.”

Duncan William Nothstein, 56, of Milwaukee, Oregon, was found with a small quantity of cocaine in his possession, a news release states.A K-9 unit was brought in, and a dog trained to sniff out drugs discovered places in the RV where 240 bricks of cocaine were hidden, according to the report.Nothstein was taken to the Tulare County Main Jail and is being held on $5 million bail.He was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs and transporting narcotics

Duncan William Nothstein, 56, of Milwaukee, Oregon, was found with a small quantity of cocaine in his possession, a news release states.A K-9 unit was brought in, and a dog trained to sniff out drugs discovered places in the RV where 240 bricks of cocaine were hidden, according to the report.Nothstein was taken to the Tulare County Main Jail and is being held on $5 million bail.He was arrested on suspicion of possessing drugs and transporting narcotics

Wednesday, 27 February 2008

Anti-drug police at Peru’s "Jorge Chávez" international airport in Lima have had their hands full over the last year, arresting nearly two "mules" a day, each carrying an average of five kg of pure cocaine.In 2005, 249 "mules" or drug couriers were arrested. In 2006 there were 454 arrests, and last year the number rose to 721, carrying a total of nearly four tons of cocaine, the police National Anti-Drug Directorate told IPS. The usual method is to swallow some 10 packets or capsules, each containing 100 grams of cocaine. But often larger quantities are carried, with the drug hidden under false bottoms in luggage, camouflaged in different kinds of containers, or attached to the body with adhesive tape. Of the 721 smugglers arrested in 2007, 62.4 percent (453) were Peruvian and the rest were foreigners, particularly from Spain (45), the Netherlands (29) and Brazil (18). Over three-quarters of the Peruvian "mules" were poor or unemployed. According to the histories of detainees taken by the anti-drug police at the airport, the going rate paid by drug traffickers to couriers who swallow cocaine packets and are sent to Brazil or Argentina is about 1,000 dollars. If they are sent to the United States, Europe or Asia, where the drugs have higher value, payment can be between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars. The more the couriers travel, the more they are paid, unless they are caught by the police, or die from cocaine poisoning when a capsule splits open in their bowels. For a poor or unemployed Peruvian, the payment for swallowing the capsules and travelling four or five hours to Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo is extremely attractive, in spite of the risks. The number of people willing to take the risk is increasing. In 2007, 452 were arrested, compared to 193 in 2006. Poverty creates a fertile recruiting ground. The Peruvian press, accustomed to printing news about "mule" detentions, was nevertheless shocked on Dec. 22 by the arrest of 43-year-old Evelyn Changra, who attempted to travel to Buenos Aires with one kg of cocaine in her stomach, together with her children, aged 17 and 15, who had also swallowed drugs. "This was a very poor family from San Juan de Lurigancho," an anti-drug police officer told IPS, referring to one of the most densely populated shantytown districts of Lima. "The drug trafficker who recruited Evelyn Changra promised her 3,000 dollars if she would take her children along. She accepted because she had never been offered so much money in her life," the source said. A large proportion of Peruvian "mules" also come from Villa El Salvador, Comas and Carabayllo, similar working-class districts on the outskirts of Lima.

Of the 721 couriers intercepted at the airport, 303 (42 percent) were heading for Brazil, 148 (20.5 percent) for Argentina and 122 (16.9 percent) for Spain. Recently introduced cut-price commercial flights from Lima to Sao Paulo have encouraged the drug mafias to increase trafficking to Brazil’s biggest city. In Argentina, drug traffickers are active among the large Peruvian community in Buenos Aires, and through relatives, they recruit "mules" from poor districts like San Juan de Lurigancho. In fact, the most important drug lords operating in the Argentine capital come from that part of Lima. "Those we catch tend to be people who stand out because they are obviously nervous, behave suspiciously, or don’t look as if they could afford a plane ticket. But many do manage to leave the country," the police source said. "It’s impossible to take X-rays of everybody, and it’s also impossible to search all the baggage and every object that could potentially be hiding cocaine." As trafficking by "mule" increases, President Alan García announced that he would hold talks with the governments of several countries so that their citizens would serve sentences in their home countries, to ease the overcrowding in Peruvian prisons. The National Prisons Institute told IPS that only 18 percent of the drug couriers arrested have so far been sentenced. In the Santa Monica women’s prison in Lima, there are 1,275 inmates accused of drug-related crimes: 942 Peruvians and 207 foreigners. Less than 240 have already been convicted and sentenced.

Anti-drug police at Peru’s "Jorge Chávez" international airport in Lima have had their hands full over the last year, arresting nearly two "mules" a day, each carrying an average of five kg of pure cocaine.In 2005, 249 "mules" or drug couriers were arrested. In 2006 there were 454 arrests, and last year the number rose to 721, carrying a total of nearly four tons of cocaine, the police National Anti-Drug Directorate told IPS. The usual method is to swallow some 10 packets or capsules, each containing 100 grams of cocaine. But often larger quantities are carried, with the drug hidden under false bottoms in luggage, camouflaged in different kinds of containers, or attached to the body with adhesive tape. Of the 721 smugglers arrested in 2007, 62.4 percent (453) were Peruvian and the rest were foreigners, particularly from Spain (45), the Netherlands (29) and Brazil (18). Over three-quarters of the Peruvian "mules" were poor or unemployed. According to the histories of detainees taken by the anti-drug police at the airport, the going rate paid by drug traffickers to couriers who swallow cocaine packets and are sent to Brazil or Argentina is about 1,000 dollars. If they are sent to the United States, Europe or Asia, where the drugs have higher value, payment can be between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars. The more the couriers travel, the more they are paid, unless they are caught by the police, or die from cocaine poisoning when a capsule splits open in their bowels. For a poor or unemployed Peruvian, the payment for swallowing the capsules and travelling four or five hours to Buenos Aires or Sao Paulo is extremely attractive, in spite of the risks. The number of people willing to take the risk is increasing. In 2007, 452 were arrested, compared to 193 in 2006. Poverty creates a fertile recruiting ground. The Peruvian press, accustomed to printing news about "mule" detentions, was nevertheless shocked on Dec. 22 by the arrest of 43-year-old Evelyn Changra, who attempted to travel to Buenos Aires with one kg of cocaine in her stomach, together with her children, aged 17 and 15, who had also swallowed drugs. "This was a very poor family from San Juan de Lurigancho," an anti-drug police officer told IPS, referring to one of the most densely populated shantytown districts of Lima. "The drug trafficker who recruited Evelyn Changra promised her 3,000 dollars if she would take her children along. She accepted because she had never been offered so much money in her life," the source said. A large proportion of Peruvian "mules" also come from Villa El Salvador, Comas and Carabayllo, similar working-class districts on the outskirts of Lima.

Of the 721 couriers intercepted at the airport, 303 (42 percent) were heading for Brazil, 148 (20.5 percent) for Argentina and 122 (16.9 percent) for Spain. Recently introduced cut-price commercial flights from Lima to Sao Paulo have encouraged the drug mafias to increase trafficking to Brazil’s biggest city. In Argentina, drug traffickers are active among the large Peruvian community in Buenos Aires, and through relatives, they recruit "mules" from poor districts like San Juan de Lurigancho. In fact, the most important drug lords operating in the Argentine capital come from that part of Lima. "Those we catch tend to be people who stand out because they are obviously nervous, behave suspiciously, or don’t look as if they could afford a plane ticket. But many do manage to leave the country," the police source said. "It’s impossible to take X-rays of everybody, and it’s also impossible to search all the baggage and every object that could potentially be hiding cocaine." As trafficking by "mule" increases, President Alan García announced that he would hold talks with the governments of several countries so that their citizens would serve sentences in their home countries, to ease the overcrowding in Peruvian prisons. The National Prisons Institute told IPS that only 18 percent of the drug couriers arrested have so far been sentenced. In the Santa Monica women’s prison in Lima, there are 1,275 inmates accused of drug-related crimes: 942 Peruvians and 207 foreigners. Less than 240 have already been convicted and sentenced.

Tuesday, 26 February 2008

Kendra Theoret, 22, Kayla Ann C. Snyder, 20, and Cassey O'Byrne, 28, all of Cornwall, Ont., were charged with first-degree criminal possession of marijuana.The Three women from Cornwall, Ont., have been jailed in upstate New York after a sheriff's deputy seized garbage bags full of marijuana.Investigators allege that 57 kilograms of the drug was being transferred from one car to another in the town of Lake George on Sunday night — on property used by the Warren County sheriff's department as a firing range.Police say they believe the marijuana was destined for the New York City area and was brought into the U.S. through the Akwesasne-St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reserve, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border.Several hours after the arrests, another sheriff's deputy pulled over a car in nearby Warrensburg and arrested four Massachusetts residents after finding 4.5 kilograms of marijuana in their car.Police believe that marijuana was also brought into the country through the border reserve.

Kendra Theoret, 22, Kayla Ann C. Snyder, 20, and Cassey O'Byrne, 28, all of Cornwall, Ont., were charged with first-degree criminal possession of marijuana.The Three women from Cornwall, Ont., have been jailed in upstate New York after a sheriff's deputy seized garbage bags full of marijuana.Investigators allege that 57 kilograms of the drug was being transferred from one car to another in the town of Lake George on Sunday night — on property used by the Warren County sheriff's department as a firing range.Police say they believe the marijuana was destined for the New York City area and was brought into the U.S. through the Akwesasne-St. Regis Mohawk Indian Reserve, which straddles the U.S.-Canada border.Several hours after the arrests, another sheriff's deputy pulled over a car in nearby Warrensburg and arrested four Massachusetts residents after finding 4.5 kilograms of marijuana in their car.Police believe that marijuana was also brought into the country through the border reserve.

Forty-six year old Alistair Campbell from Killin had been fighting extradition at the Court of Criminal Appeal, after being found guilty in his absence in France six years ago. Perthshire lorry driver who claims he has been falsely accused of involvement in an £8million cocaine smuggling operation is facing nine years in a French jail. The Court of Appeal today upheld a ruling that Campbell had deliberately avoided the trial and should be extradited. Campbell, who has two daughters and two grandchildren, faces being sent to France within ten days.

Forty-six year old Alistair Campbell from Killin had been fighting extradition at the Court of Criminal Appeal, after being found guilty in his absence in France six years ago. Perthshire lorry driver who claims he has been falsely accused of involvement in an £8million cocaine smuggling operation is facing nine years in a French jail. The Court of Appeal today upheld a ruling that Campbell had deliberately avoided the trial and should be extradited. Campbell, who has two daughters and two grandchildren, faces being sent to France within ten days.

Twenty officers with a passive drugs dog visited seven licensed premises in Stockton, Billingham and Thornaby on Saturday night as part of Operation Lumberjack.Six men and one woman were arrested during the evening.A 55-year-old man was cautioned for the possession of ecstasy in Billingham.A 21-year-old man, also in Billingham, was cautioned for the possession of cocaine.A 27-year-old woman was charged with possession of amphetamines in Thornaby and is due in court.A 31-year-old man was charged with possessing a bladed article in Billingham and is to appear in court.A 29-year-old man, wanted for an assault on a woman, was found and arrested in Stockton. He has been bailed pending further inquiries.Two men - one in Stockton and one in Thornaby - were also arrested for public order offences and issued with fixed penalty notices for disorder which incurs an £80 fine.

Twenty officers with a passive drugs dog visited seven licensed premises in Stockton, Billingham and Thornaby on Saturday night as part of Operation Lumberjack.Six men and one woman were arrested during the evening.A 55-year-old man was cautioned for the possession of ecstasy in Billingham.A 21-year-old man, also in Billingham, was cautioned for the possession of cocaine.A 27-year-old woman was charged with possession of amphetamines in Thornaby and is due in court.A 31-year-old man was charged with possessing a bladed article in Billingham and is to appear in court.A 29-year-old man, wanted for an assault on a woman, was found and arrested in Stockton. He has been bailed pending further inquiries.Two men - one in Stockton and one in Thornaby - were also arrested for public order offences and issued with fixed penalty notices for disorder which incurs an £80 fine.

Fiona White, of Cronin Street, Peckham, tried to traffic 14kg of the drug through Gatwick airport on December 20.White has been jailed for nine years for trying to smuggle nearly £600,000 worth of cocaine mixed in chicken spices through airport customs.Customs officials say the class-A drugs have a street value of £572,000.The 33-year-old was arrested after flying home from Jamaica. Airport security bosses found the packets of cocaine mixed with the seasoning during a routine check of her bags.White was sentenced to nine years imprisonment at Croydon Crown Court on February 19.

Fiona White, of Cronin Street, Peckham, tried to traffic 14kg of the drug through Gatwick airport on December 20.White has been jailed for nine years for trying to smuggle nearly £600,000 worth of cocaine mixed in chicken spices through airport customs.Customs officials say the class-A drugs have a street value of £572,000.The 33-year-old was arrested after flying home from Jamaica. Airport security bosses found the packets of cocaine mixed with the seasoning during a routine check of her bags.White was sentenced to nine years imprisonment at Croydon Crown Court on February 19.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it was banning Americans from doing business with Asia World Co Ltd, a Myanmar company controlled by Steven Law and his father, Lo Hsing Han, who it said was a big figure in the international heroin trade.The Treasury described both men as “financial operatives” of the Myanmar regime.It was the fourth set of sanctions under an executive order issued last year in response to Myanmar’s military crackdown against protesters and included a freeze on any assets the firms and individuals may have under U.S. jurisdiction.Myanmar’s junta in September crushed the biggest pro-democracy protests in nearly 20 years, killing at least 20 people, according to Human Rights Watch. Western governments say the toll may be much higher.“The situation in Burma remains deplorable,” U.S. President George W. Bush said in a statement, and called for concerted international pressure on Myanmar to achieve a “genuine transition to democracy.”“The regime has rejected calls from its own people and the international community to begin a genuine dialogue with the opposition and ethnic minority groups. Arrests and secret trials of peaceful political activists continue,” Bush said.The Treasury said Law and his father, Lo, had a history of illicit activities that supported the Myanmar junta. It called Lo as the “Godfather of Heroin” who has been one of the world’s top traffickers of the drug since the early 1970s.In 1992, Lo founded Asia World Co Ltd. a company that has received numerous lucrative government concessions, including construction of ports, highways and government facilities, the Treasury said.Law now serves as managing director of the company, and the sanctions were extended to his wife, Cecelia Ng. The Treasury also blacklisted 10 Singapore-based companies owned by Ng, including property firm Golden Aaron Pte Ltd.The Treasury designated two hotel chains owned by Myanmar tycoon Tay Za, who was blacklisted in an earlier round of financial sanctions, the Aureum Palace Hotels and Resorts and Myanmar Treasure ResortsThe sanctions have drawn a less than enthusiastic public reaction from Myanmar’s southeast Asian neighbors, including Singapore, a key financial center in the region. Impoverished Laos and Cambodia have denounced the U.S. moves.Nonetheless, Adam Szubin director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets control, said some governments in the region were quietly cooperating.“It’s incumbent on financial institutions and governments to take steps to keep dirty money out of their banks and their financial systems. We see indeed financial institutions and governments taking those steps, sometimes not in the public view,” Szubin told reporters.

The U.S. Treasury Department said it was banning Americans from doing business with Asia World Co Ltd, a Myanmar company controlled by Steven Law and his father, Lo Hsing Han, who it said was a big figure in the international heroin trade.The Treasury described both men as “financial operatives” of the Myanmar regime.It was the fourth set of sanctions under an executive order issued last year in response to Myanmar’s military crackdown against protesters and included a freeze on any assets the firms and individuals may have under U.S. jurisdiction.Myanmar’s junta in September crushed the biggest pro-democracy protests in nearly 20 years, killing at least 20 people, according to Human Rights Watch. Western governments say the toll may be much higher.“The situation in Burma remains deplorable,” U.S. President George W. Bush said in a statement, and called for concerted international pressure on Myanmar to achieve a “genuine transition to democracy.”“The regime has rejected calls from its own people and the international community to begin a genuine dialogue with the opposition and ethnic minority groups. Arrests and secret trials of peaceful political activists continue,” Bush said.The Treasury said Law and his father, Lo, had a history of illicit activities that supported the Myanmar junta. It called Lo as the “Godfather of Heroin” who has been one of the world’s top traffickers of the drug since the early 1970s.In 1992, Lo founded Asia World Co Ltd. a company that has received numerous lucrative government concessions, including construction of ports, highways and government facilities, the Treasury said.Law now serves as managing director of the company, and the sanctions were extended to his wife, Cecelia Ng. The Treasury also blacklisted 10 Singapore-based companies owned by Ng, including property firm Golden Aaron Pte Ltd.The Treasury designated two hotel chains owned by Myanmar tycoon Tay Za, who was blacklisted in an earlier round of financial sanctions, the Aureum Palace Hotels and Resorts and Myanmar Treasure ResortsThe sanctions have drawn a less than enthusiastic public reaction from Myanmar’s southeast Asian neighbors, including Singapore, a key financial center in the region. Impoverished Laos and Cambodia have denounced the U.S. moves.Nonetheless, Adam Szubin director of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets control, said some governments in the region were quietly cooperating.“It’s incumbent on financial institutions and governments to take steps to keep dirty money out of their banks and their financial systems. We see indeed financial institutions and governments taking those steps, sometimes not in the public view,” Szubin told reporters.

The drug bust came just two and a half weeks after Michael Urciuoli, nicknamed "Mike the Electrician," was swept up in a massive federal organized crime indictment that targeted every alleged member of the Gambino crime family, and a few Bonanno crime family associates.Federal authorities refer to Urciuoli as a Bonanno associate, and accuse him of conspiring to extort a granite company. Now Urciuoli, 43, and his wife, Susan, 40, face a slew of felony drug and weapon charges on top of his mob counts.The top charge against both of them, first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, carries the prospect of 25 years to life in prison in the event of conviction at trial.The couple was arraigned in Stapleton Criminal Court on Sunday, according to William J. Smith, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.Judge Desmond Green ordered the husband remanded without bail and the wife released on her own recognizance.When asked to comment about the arrest outside her house earlier this afternoon, Mrs. Urciuoli asked, "Are you going to put that in the newspaper?" then promptly declined comment.Advance records show Susan MacDowell married Michael Urciuoli in 1999. At the time, Urciuoli worked as an electrician for a firm in Bloomfield and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 3, Queens.Mrs. Urciuoli had received a certificate in word processing from the Cittone Institute, Edison, N.J.Neighbors, all of whom declined to give their names, said there had been no indication of anything amiss at the house and no sign of criminal activity over the years."There was nothing odd that I noticed," said a four-year resident of the block. "If it's true, I've never really heard of drugs and guns in Tottenville.Another neighbor said he hadn't paid much attention to the Urciuolis, except for the occasional hello and goodbye. "We live in this little shell," he said.Urciuoli pleaded not guilty on Feb. 7 to the mob-related charges, and had his wife put up put up the Sprague Avenue house as collateral so he could make his $1 million bail the next day.

The drug bust came just two and a half weeks after Michael Urciuoli, nicknamed "Mike the Electrician," was swept up in a massive federal organized crime indictment that targeted every alleged member of the Gambino crime family, and a few Bonanno crime family associates.Federal authorities refer to Urciuoli as a Bonanno associate, and accuse him of conspiring to extort a granite company. Now Urciuoli, 43, and his wife, Susan, 40, face a slew of felony drug and weapon charges on top of his mob counts.The top charge against both of them, first-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, carries the prospect of 25 years to life in prison in the event of conviction at trial.The couple was arraigned in Stapleton Criminal Court on Sunday, according to William J. Smith, a spokesman for District Attorney Daniel Donovan.Judge Desmond Green ordered the husband remanded without bail and the wife released on her own recognizance.When asked to comment about the arrest outside her house earlier this afternoon, Mrs. Urciuoli asked, "Are you going to put that in the newspaper?" then promptly declined comment.Advance records show Susan MacDowell married Michael Urciuoli in 1999. At the time, Urciuoli worked as an electrician for a firm in Bloomfield and was a member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 3, Queens.Mrs. Urciuoli had received a certificate in word processing from the Cittone Institute, Edison, N.J.Neighbors, all of whom declined to give their names, said there had been no indication of anything amiss at the house and no sign of criminal activity over the years."There was nothing odd that I noticed," said a four-year resident of the block. "If it's true, I've never really heard of drugs and guns in Tottenville.Another neighbor said he hadn't paid much attention to the Urciuolis, except for the occasional hello and goodbye. "We live in this little shell," he said.Urciuoli pleaded not guilty on Feb. 7 to the mob-related charges, and had his wife put up put up the Sprague Avenue house as collateral so he could make his $1 million bail the next day.

Karrie Glenn, 35, of Pascagoula, was out of jail on $60,000 bond for murder when she was arrested Sunday after showing up at the jail to visit Jackson County inmate Brian Harris.Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said investigators had gotten a tip about the alleged conspiracy that involved Glenn smuggling methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, tobacco and cigarettes into the jail through Harris.Glenn was arrested when she showed up for a 3 p.m. visitation with Harris on Sunday. Investigators and agents with the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County searched Glenn's vehicle and found about two grams of methamphetamines in a purse inside.Glenn was arrested and she and Harris were each charged with attempting to smuggle drugs into a jail. Jackson County Judge Sharon Sigalis revoked Glenn's bond on the murder charge Monday. She set an additional $20,000 bond for the drug charge.Harris was in jail at the time of his arrest Sunday on charges of methamphetamine possession and grand larceny. Authorities did not say how Glenn and Harris knew one another.Glenn had been out of jail on bond for murder for several months before her latest arrest.She and David Allen Stokes were arrested last year for the July 27, 1998, shooting death of Glenn's husband, Roy Anthony "Tony" Glenn Jr.Investigators had for years suspected Glenn in her husband's death but the case went cold and investigators didn't get the evidence they needed to make the arrests until last year.In that case, authorities allege that Glenn and Stokes were having a relationship when they decided to kill Glenn's husband.Stokes has since pleaded guilty and is serving a 20-year sentence. He's also expected to testify against Glenn at her trial later this year.

Karrie Glenn, 35, of Pascagoula, was out of jail on $60,000 bond for murder when she was arrested Sunday after showing up at the jail to visit Jackson County inmate Brian Harris.Jackson County Sheriff Mike Byrd said investigators had gotten a tip about the alleged conspiracy that involved Glenn smuggling methamphetamines, cocaine, marijuana, tobacco and cigarettes into the jail through Harris.Glenn was arrested when she showed up for a 3 p.m. visitation with Harris on Sunday. Investigators and agents with the Narcotics Task Force of Jackson County searched Glenn's vehicle and found about two grams of methamphetamines in a purse inside.Glenn was arrested and she and Harris were each charged with attempting to smuggle drugs into a jail. Jackson County Judge Sharon Sigalis revoked Glenn's bond on the murder charge Monday. She set an additional $20,000 bond for the drug charge.Harris was in jail at the time of his arrest Sunday on charges of methamphetamine possession and grand larceny. Authorities did not say how Glenn and Harris knew one another.Glenn had been out of jail on bond for murder for several months before her latest arrest.She and David Allen Stokes were arrested last year for the July 27, 1998, shooting death of Glenn's husband, Roy Anthony "Tony" Glenn Jr.Investigators had for years suspected Glenn in her husband's death but the case went cold and investigators didn't get the evidence they needed to make the arrests until last year.In that case, authorities allege that Glenn and Stokes were having a relationship when they decided to kill Glenn's husband.Stokes has since pleaded guilty and is serving a 20-year sentence. He's also expected to testify against Glenn at her trial later this year.

29-year-old German man caught allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine from New Zealand to Brisbane was arrested after customs officers found his clothing was stiff to the touch.Customs officers stopped the man when he arrived at Brisbane International Airport on a flight from New Zealand yesterday, The Age newspaper reported.During a search of his bags, officers became suspicious that drugs may have been impregnated in the fabric of several items of clothing, including numerous pairs of jeans and t-shirts.Preliminary testing of fabric of several items of clothing, which were stiff to the touch, indicated the presence of cocaine.The man was subsequently arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and charged with attempting to import clothing impregnated in cocaine, defined as a " marketable quantity of a border controlled drug".

29-year-old German man caught allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine from New Zealand to Brisbane was arrested after customs officers found his clothing was stiff to the touch.Customs officers stopped the man when he arrived at Brisbane International Airport on a flight from New Zealand yesterday, The Age newspaper reported.During a search of his bags, officers became suspicious that drugs may have been impregnated in the fabric of several items of clothing, including numerous pairs of jeans and t-shirts.Preliminary testing of fabric of several items of clothing, which were stiff to the touch, indicated the presence of cocaine.The man was subsequently arrested by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and charged with attempting to import clothing impregnated in cocaine, defined as a " marketable quantity of a border controlled drug".

Monday, 25 February 2008

Police have seized drugs valued at £160,000 at a house in Burton Green after arresting a man at Birmingham Airport.As part of a two-day operation targeting organised crime, officers from Warwickshire Police Serious and Organised Crime Unit intercepted the man as he prepared to leave the country on Wednesday.After the arrest police executed warrants at an address in Burton Green and seized more than 3.8kg of cocaine and 200 grammes of cannabis.A 32 year old Leamington man appeared at Stratford Magistrates Court on Friday charged with possession of cocaine with intent to supply the drug, attempting to export cocaine and cannabis and money laundering. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear before magistrates again on March 19

Police have seized drugs valued at £160,000 at a house in Burton Green after arresting a man at Birmingham Airport.As part of a two-day operation targeting organised crime, officers from Warwickshire Police Serious and Organised Crime Unit intercepted the man as he prepared to leave the country on Wednesday.After the arrest police executed warrants at an address in Burton Green and seized more than 3.8kg of cocaine and 200 grammes of cannabis.A 32 year old Leamington man appeared at Stratford Magistrates Court on Friday charged with possession of cocaine with intent to supply the drug, attempting to export cocaine and cannabis and money laundering. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear before magistrates again on March 19

13 members of a drug organization that was using ambulances to deliver the goods.After a 2-year investigaion, the National Financial Police uncovered a cocaine smuggling ring that was operating through funeral homes as a cover for their activity.While the movement was primarily cocaine, they also were trafficking in hashish and marijuana. They would patrol the night club areas around hospitals and as an order would come in they would take the drugs in the ambulance directly to the customer. Still one more use for the “drug box.”

13 members of a drug organization that was using ambulances to deliver the goods.After a 2-year investigaion, the National Financial Police uncovered a cocaine smuggling ring that was operating through funeral homes as a cover for their activity.While the movement was primarily cocaine, they also were trafficking in hashish and marijuana. They would patrol the night club areas around hospitals and as an order would come in they would take the drugs in the ambulance directly to the customer. Still one more use for the “drug box.”

About R54-million worth of cocaine, smuggled into the country from Brazil, was confiscated at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday, police said.National police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said police in Sao Paulo, Brazil, notified South African authorities on Saturday that a plane heading to OR Tambo was carrying cocaine."When the plane arrived at the airport, police searched it and found 120kg of cocaine valued over R54-million."He said the drugs were destined for Durban, according to a label on the box in which they were found in the cargo section.No arrest had been made, he said.Naidoo said it was not the first time that a large quantity of drugs of had been confiscated at the airport.

About R54-million worth of cocaine, smuggled into the country from Brazil, was confiscated at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday, police said.National police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said police in Sao Paulo, Brazil, notified South African authorities on Saturday that a plane heading to OR Tambo was carrying cocaine."When the plane arrived at the airport, police searched it and found 120kg of cocaine valued over R54-million."He said the drugs were destined for Durban, according to a label on the box in which they were found in the cargo section.No arrest had been made, he said.Naidoo said it was not the first time that a large quantity of drugs of had been confiscated at the airport.Authorities at OR Tambo International Airport have made a multi-million rand drugs bust.Customs officials and police made the discovery at the cargo section of the airport earlier today, 122kg of suspected cocaine came in on a flight from Sao Polo in Brazil.The neatly packed narcotics were found in kit-bags, which were in turn stuffed in wooden crates. The smell of coffee emanates from the bags.Officials say smugglers sprinkled the coffee in the containers, to mask the smell of the drugs and to throw sniffer dogs off.But no dogs were even used in the bust, simply good all police work.Paperwork shows the crates contain machine parts, which was the case, but in between the parts, were the drugs. No arrests have been made.

About R54-million worth of cocaine, smuggled into the country from Brazil, was confiscated at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday, police said.National police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said police in Sao Paulo, Brazil, notified South African authorities on Saturday that a plane heading to OR Tambo was carrying cocaine."When the plane arrived at the airport, police searched it and found 120kg of cocaine valued over R54-million."He said the drugs were destined for Durban, according to a label on the box in which they were found in the cargo section.No arrest had been made, he said.Naidoo said it was not the first time that a large quantity of drugs of had been confiscated at the airport.

About R54-million worth of cocaine, smuggled into the country from Brazil, was confiscated at Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport on Sunday, police said.National police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Vishnu Naidoo said police in Sao Paulo, Brazil, notified South African authorities on Saturday that a plane heading to OR Tambo was carrying cocaine."When the plane arrived at the airport, police searched it and found 120kg of cocaine valued over R54-million."He said the drugs were destined for Durban, according to a label on the box in which they were found in the cargo section.No arrest had been made, he said.Naidoo said it was not the first time that a large quantity of drugs of had been confiscated at the airport.Authorities at OR Tambo International Airport have made a multi-million rand drugs bust.Customs officials and police made the discovery at the cargo section of the airport earlier today, 122kg of suspected cocaine came in on a flight from Sao Polo in Brazil.The neatly packed narcotics were found in kit-bags, which were in turn stuffed in wooden crates. The smell of coffee emanates from the bags.Officials say smugglers sprinkled the coffee in the containers, to mask the smell of the drugs and to throw sniffer dogs off.But no dogs were even used in the bust, simply good all police work.Paperwork shows the crates contain machine parts, which was the case, but in between the parts, were the drugs. No arrests have been made.

Sunday, 24 February 2008

Armed Robbery Suspect Caught with CrackAbout 1:36pm on Saturday, February 23, 2008, officers from District B-2 responded to 14 Elder St. in Roxbury for an armed robbery call.On arrival, officers met with the victim who stated to officers that he had been robbed at knifepoint at the corner of Dudley and Wendover Streets. The victim reported that he followed the suspect and observed the suspect go into the back of 14 Elder Street, a short distance from the scene of the incident. Officer placed the victim in the back of the cruiser, and drove him around in the area of the incident to try and find the suspect. Officers were able to locate the suspect walking on Elder St. and stopped him as he got to Columbia Road. The victim positively identified the suspect and he was placed under arrest.Suspect, Joshua Womble, 24, of Dorchester was placed under arrest and transported to the station charged with Armed Robbery. During the booking search, officers found 16 individually wrapped packets of crack cocaine in the suspect’s socks. The suspect was then additionally charged with Possession of Class B, Possession of Class B with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Class B with Intent to Distribute in a School Zone.

Armed Robbery Suspect Caught with CrackAbout 1:36pm on Saturday, February 23, 2008, officers from District B-2 responded to 14 Elder St. in Roxbury for an armed robbery call.On arrival, officers met with the victim who stated to officers that he had been robbed at knifepoint at the corner of Dudley and Wendover Streets. The victim reported that he followed the suspect and observed the suspect go into the back of 14 Elder Street, a short distance from the scene of the incident. Officer placed the victim in the back of the cruiser, and drove him around in the area of the incident to try and find the suspect. Officers were able to locate the suspect walking on Elder St. and stopped him as he got to Columbia Road. The victim positively identified the suspect and he was placed under arrest.Suspect, Joshua Womble, 24, of Dorchester was placed under arrest and transported to the station charged with Armed Robbery. During the booking search, officers found 16 individually wrapped packets of crack cocaine in the suspect’s socks. The suspect was then additionally charged with Possession of Class B, Possession of Class B with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Class B with Intent to Distribute in a School Zone.

A Monticello business owner and a woman were arrested Thursday and three children were placed with county authorities after the Wright County Drug Task Force found suspected drugs and explosives during searches of a home and a gun shop/indoor shooting range.The searches, based on warrants obtained during a drug investigation, were conducted simultaneously at about 10 a.m., Wright County Sheriff Gary Miller said in a statement.Shea Pedersen, 32, was arrested en route from his home to his business. He had a loaded handgun at the time, Miller said.Officers found about 43 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 327 grams of suspected psilocybin mushrooms and drug paraphernalia at In Range, 210 Dundas Road, Suite 400, in Monticello.Because of the drug seizure, 108 firearms also were removed from In Range.The search of Pedersen's house, in the 8200 block of Acacia Avenue NE, Monticello, turned up suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, three firearms and explosives.The Minneapolis Bomb Squad was called to the scene to dispose of the explosives.Children ages 3, 4 and 6 were placed with Wright County Human Services, Miller said.Jessica Pedersen, 32, was arrested at the home and booked at Wright County Jail on suspicion of gross misdemeanor child endangerment.Shea Pedersen was booked on suspicion of first-degree and second-degree drug possession, being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm and gross misdemeanor child endangerment.

A Monticello business owner and a woman were arrested Thursday and three children were placed with county authorities after the Wright County Drug Task Force found suspected drugs and explosives during searches of a home and a gun shop/indoor shooting range.The searches, based on warrants obtained during a drug investigation, were conducted simultaneously at about 10 a.m., Wright County Sheriff Gary Miller said in a statement.Shea Pedersen, 32, was arrested en route from his home to his business. He had a loaded handgun at the time, Miller said.Officers found about 43 grams of suspected methamphetamine, 327 grams of suspected psilocybin mushrooms and drug paraphernalia at In Range, 210 Dundas Road, Suite 400, in Monticello.Because of the drug seizure, 108 firearms also were removed from In Range.The search of Pedersen's house, in the 8200 block of Acacia Avenue NE, Monticello, turned up suspected methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, three firearms and explosives.The Minneapolis Bomb Squad was called to the scene to dispose of the explosives.Children ages 3, 4 and 6 were placed with Wright County Human Services, Miller said.Jessica Pedersen, 32, was arrested at the home and booked at Wright County Jail on suspicion of gross misdemeanor child endangerment.Shea Pedersen was booked on suspicion of first-degree and second-degree drug possession, being an ineligible person in possession of a firearm and gross misdemeanor child endangerment.

Louisiana State Police, Troop A Criminal Patrols Units conducted a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of 114 pounds of marijuana. The stop occurred on Interstate 12 west of Albany in Livingston Parish. The trooper initiated a traffic stop after seeing the driver of the Toyota Tundra commit a traffic violation. After pulling onto the right shoulder, the trooper and the driver had a conversation. The encounter led the trooper to seek permission to search the vehicle, but the request was denied. Niko, the Troop A K-9, and his handler were called to the stop location. Niko alerted on several duffle bags in the bed of the truck. Troopers searched the duffle bags and located 114 pounds of marijuana. The driver of the Toyota Tundra, Maceo Jones (B/M/Age 37) of Houston, TX, was booked into the Livingston Parish Jail for Improper Lane Usage and Possession with Intent to Distribute (Marijuana).

Louisiana State Police, Troop A Criminal Patrols Units conducted a traffic stop that resulted in the seizure of 114 pounds of marijuana. The stop occurred on Interstate 12 west of Albany in Livingston Parish. The trooper initiated a traffic stop after seeing the driver of the Toyota Tundra commit a traffic violation. After pulling onto the right shoulder, the trooper and the driver had a conversation. The encounter led the trooper to seek permission to search the vehicle, but the request was denied. Niko, the Troop A K-9, and his handler were called to the stop location. Niko alerted on several duffle bags in the bed of the truck. Troopers searched the duffle bags and located 114 pounds of marijuana. The driver of the Toyota Tundra, Maceo Jones (B/M/Age 37) of Houston, TX, was booked into the Livingston Parish Jail for Improper Lane Usage and Possession with Intent to Distribute (Marijuana).

Jose Antonio Diaz, 30, Adolfo Sanchez-Rios, 37, and Luis Manueal Castaneda Robles, 31, all citizens of Mexico, pleaded guilty to the charges that stemmed from their actions smuggling the drugs in hidden vehicle compartments, then funneling the cash back out of the state the same way, the U.S. attorney said. During one shipment in April 2007, the men sent 10 kilograms of cocaine, according to the U.S. attorney.The two-year investigation resulted in law enforcement officers seizing more than $350,000 in cash that was on its way out of the state, prosecutors said. The men are scheduled to be sentenced in May. They each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Jose Antonio Diaz, 30, Adolfo Sanchez-Rios, 37, and Luis Manueal Castaneda Robles, 31, all citizens of Mexico, pleaded guilty to the charges that stemmed from their actions smuggling the drugs in hidden vehicle compartments, then funneling the cash back out of the state the same way, the U.S. attorney said. During one shipment in April 2007, the men sent 10 kilograms of cocaine, according to the U.S. attorney.The two-year investigation resulted in law enforcement officers seizing more than $350,000 in cash that was on its way out of the state, prosecutors said. The men are scheduled to be sentenced in May. They each face a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison, prosecutors said.

A private detective has been arrested on suspicion of helping a gang smuggle £25million worth of cocaine. Retired police officer Antonio Jimenez, 53, was remanded in custody on Thursday by a judge investigating the loss of half a ton of cocaine from a container docked in Barcelona in 2005. Jimenez was a business partner of Maria Fernandez Lado, 57, founder of Metodo 3, the agency charging £50,000 a month to search for Madeleine. Spanish police had the container under surveillance following a tip-off. But Jimenez, then a chief inspector with the Drugs and Organised Crime Unit of the National Police, is suspected of providing vital information to the gang. He retired from the police shortly afterwards. The cocaine was smuggled into Spain in 974 packets on the ship Hispanota, which was transporting frozen prawns from Venezuela. It docked in Barcelona in November 2004 and the drugs were taken on January 24, 2005. Five officers from the Civil Guard have also been arrested and remanded in custody. A serving police officer has been arrested and released on bail.

A private detective has been arrested on suspicion of helping a gang smuggle £25million worth of cocaine. Retired police officer Antonio Jimenez, 53, was remanded in custody on Thursday by a judge investigating the loss of half a ton of cocaine from a container docked in Barcelona in 2005. Jimenez was a business partner of Maria Fernandez Lado, 57, founder of Metodo 3, the agency charging £50,000 a month to search for Madeleine. Spanish police had the container under surveillance following a tip-off. But Jimenez, then a chief inspector with the Drugs and Organised Crime Unit of the National Police, is suspected of providing vital information to the gang. He retired from the police shortly afterwards. The cocaine was smuggled into Spain in 974 packets on the ship Hispanota, which was transporting frozen prawns from Venezuela. It docked in Barcelona in November 2004 and the drugs were taken on January 24, 2005. Five officers from the Civil Guard have also been arrested and remanded in custody. A serving police officer has been arrested and released on bail.

Colombian-born Pablo Rayo-Montano, known as El Tio (the uncle) who was captured in Brazil.While not all the agents used disguises to snare their prey, the sheer scope of the operation appeared to take those arrested by surprise. Agents claimed to have seized more than 50 tonnes of cocaine and millions of dollars in the coordinated raids, after three years of surveillance."It is extremely significant when you consider the amount of cocaine - 52 tonnes," said a spokesman for the Drugs Enforcement Administration in Washington yesterday."That significant effect is going to be felt around the world." He said that more arrests could follow.The prime catch, as far as the DEA officials and their colleagues in Brazil were concerned, was Rayo-Montano, who had been on the run for 10 years. The arrest of the capo was spectacular.Seven federal agents armed with assault rifles swept into the luxury apartment in the upmarket Itaim neighbourhood of Sao Paulo, which the capo shared with his wife, early on Tuesday.The officer responsible for his capture, Sergio Trivelin, told reporters that Rayo-Montano used an art gallery called Proart in the chic Jardins area to launder drug trafficking money and that he was responsible for sending at least 20 tonnes of cocaine to the US and Europe each month.Rayo-Montano is described as one of the world's top 10 drug traffickers by Brazilian authorities.Twelve arrest warrants were issued by police in Sao Paulo and among the arrests were six Argentines and two other Brazilians, including his wife, Elizabeth Albear.Police believe he used so-called "Go-Fast" motorboats to deliver the drug to the Gulf of Mexico, where it was then picked up by fishermen. His involvement in the cocaine trade is thought to stem back to the 1990s, when he became an associate of the Cali cartel in Colombia."The drugs were delivered disguised as fish," Mr Trivelin told the O Globo newspaper, adding that the trafficker was known to be negotiating the purchase of large amounts of tuna fish in Brazil.As well as running his fiefdom on islands around Panama, he also had extensive properties in Brazil, including apartments, art galleries and fishing companies. Police, who also found a painting by the Brazilian artist Di Cavalcanti in his flat, value El Tio's assets at at least $70m (37m).Other arrests were made in Colombia, Panama, Ecuador and Costa Rica. Such a large operation is almost unprecedented as it is difficult to coordinate when there are so many opportunities for information to leak.One of the features of the Rayo-Montano cartel, according to officials, was the vast scale of its transport system. "The organisation had its own private, rogue navy to run a drug business that was nearly as sophisticated as a small nation," DEA administrator Karen Tandy said in a press release.An estimated $70m (£37m) has been seized in the current round of arrests.The Rayo-Montano organisation has been a major target for the DEA which claims that it is responsible for both cocaine and heroin smuggling to Europe and the US. Whether Rayo-Montano is now extradited to the US to stand trial is another issue.Although the US would like to see him in a federal court, where, if convicted, he would probably spend the rest of his life behind bars, Brazil is likely to want to try him there first.

Colombian-born Pablo Rayo-Montano, known as El Tio (the uncle) who was captured in Brazil.While not all the agents used disguises to snare their prey, the sheer scope of the operation appeared to take those arrested by surprise. Agents claimed to have seized more than 50 tonnes of cocaine and millions of dollars in the coordinated raids, after three years of surveillance."It is extremely significant when you consider the amount of cocaine - 52 tonnes," said a spokesman for the Drugs Enforcement Administration in Washington yesterday."That significant effect is going to be felt around the world." He said that more arrests could follow.The prime catch, as far as the DEA officials and their colleagues in Brazil were concerned, was Rayo-Montano, who had been on the run for 10 years. The arrest of the capo was spectacular.Seven federal agents armed with assault rifles swept into the luxury apartment in the upmarket Itaim neighbourhood of Sao Paulo, which the capo shared with his wife, early on Tuesday.The officer responsible for his capture, Sergio Trivelin, told reporters that Rayo-Montano used an art gallery called Proart in the chic Jardins area to launder drug trafficking money and that he was responsible for sending at least 20 tonnes of cocaine to the US and Europe each month.Rayo-Montano is described as one of the world's top 10 drug traffickers by Brazilian authorities.Twelve arrest warrants were issued by police in Sao Paulo and among the arrests were six Argentines and two other Brazilians, including his wife, Elizabeth Albear.Police believe he used so-called "Go-Fast" motorboats to deliver the drug to the Gulf of Mexico, where it was then picked up by fishermen. His involvement in the cocaine trade is thought to stem back to the 1990s, when he became an associate of the Cali cartel in Colombia."The drugs were delivered disguised as fish," Mr Trivelin told the O Globo newspaper, adding that the trafficker was known to be negotiating the purchase of large amounts of tuna fish in Brazil.As well as running his fiefdom on islands around Panama, he also had extensive properties in Brazil, including apartments, art galleries and fishing companies. Police, who also found a painting by the Brazilian artist Di Cavalcanti in his flat, value El Tio's assets at at least $70m (37m).Other arrests were made in Colombia, Panama, Ecuador and Costa Rica. Such a large operation is almost unprecedented as it is difficult to coordinate when there are so many opportunities for information to leak.One of the features of the Rayo-Montano cartel, according to officials, was the vast scale of its transport system. "The organisation had its own private, rogue navy to run a drug business that was nearly as sophisticated as a small nation," DEA administrator Karen Tandy said in a press release.An estimated $70m (£37m) has been seized in the current round of arrests.The Rayo-Montano organisation has been a major target for the DEA which claims that it is responsible for both cocaine and heroin smuggling to Europe and the US. Whether Rayo-Montano is now extradited to the US to stand trial is another issue.Although the US would like to see him in a federal court, where, if convicted, he would probably spend the rest of his life behind bars, Brazil is likely to want to try him there first.

Saturday, 23 February 2008

Jose Manuel Cazares Contreras, 30, and Victor Delgadillo Parra, 21, both pleaded guilty in federal court to manslaughter charges tied to their selling heroin to a Grove City man who died from an overdose of the drug.Each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in serious bodily injury or death. The first charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and the second by up to 20 years. In August, Franklin County, Columbus and Grove City law enforcement authorities began the investigation into the black tar heroin trafficking organization. According to information received by investigators, heroin users called a telephone number and spoke to an individual to order heroin. Then, a runner was dispatched to make the delivery.Contreras was indentified as the person who normally handled the phone calls and Parra was tagged as one of the runners.Between August and October, investigators made several controlled heroin purchases from the group.Meanwhile, Aug. 29, investigators were informed of the overdose death of Arthur Eisel IV and linked it to the organization through the heroin that killed the victim.On Oct. 17, two federal search warrants were executed on residences in Columbus and Canal Winchester, from which heroin and the phone used to take the orders were seized by police. Contreras and Parra, both Mexican immigrants in the U.S. illegally, were arrested at the Canal Winchester home.In addition to the Columbus-area agencies involved in the arrests, the Fairfield Hocking Major Crimes Unit and IRS Criminal Investigation unit provided assistance in the case.A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

Jose Manuel Cazares Contreras, 30, and Victor Delgadillo Parra, 21, both pleaded guilty in federal court to manslaughter charges tied to their selling heroin to a Grove City man who died from an overdose of the drug.Each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of cocaine and one count of conspiracy to distribute heroin resulting in serious bodily injury or death. The first charge is punishable by up to 10 years in prison, and the second by up to 20 years. In August, Franklin County, Columbus and Grove City law enforcement authorities began the investigation into the black tar heroin trafficking organization. According to information received by investigators, heroin users called a telephone number and spoke to an individual to order heroin. Then, a runner was dispatched to make the delivery.Contreras was indentified as the person who normally handled the phone calls and Parra was tagged as one of the runners.Between August and October, investigators made several controlled heroin purchases from the group.Meanwhile, Aug. 29, investigators were informed of the overdose death of Arthur Eisel IV and linked it to the organization through the heroin that killed the victim.On Oct. 17, two federal search warrants were executed on residences in Columbus and Canal Winchester, from which heroin and the phone used to take the orders were seized by police. Contreras and Parra, both Mexican immigrants in the U.S. illegally, were arrested at the Canal Winchester home.In addition to the Columbus-area agencies involved in the arrests, the Fairfield Hocking Major Crimes Unit and IRS Criminal Investigation unit provided assistance in the case.A sentencing date has yet to be scheduled.

Mark Eugene Henderson, 49, received 15 years to life for the Oct. 1, 2006 death of Rebecca Seibenmorgen, a University of California at Santa Cruz student. Judge Joseph Scott doubled the term as a second strike and added another five years for having multiple felonies. Henderson denied being under the influence of methamphetamine at the time of the crash, instead claiming he was fighting to stay awake. However, following a 16-day trial, a jury deliberated less than two days before convicting Henderson of five felonies including second-degree murder, driving while under the influence causing injury, fleeing the scene of an accident causing death and drug possession. Prosecutor Sean Gallagher said the case rose to the level of murder rather than gross vehicular manslaughter because Henderson’s lengthy criminal and drug record should have taught him better.“It is different than pulling the trigger of a gun, no question about it, but it is hard to come up with something more inherently dangerous than driving a vehicle under the influence,” Gallagher said.Henderson struck his pickup truck head on into Siebenmorgen’s motorcycle, leaving her dead at the scene on Highway 1.Henderson’s Ford Ranger pickup truck was traveling south when it reportedly drifted into the northbound lane in front of an oncoming motorcycle just south of Tunitas Creek Road. Siebenmorgen died from the head-on collision. Henderson fled from the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol, and was found with a small amount of cocaine in his possession.Henderson was arrested near the scene. Witnesses testified he appeared to be weaving before the crash. Prior to this conviction, Henderson was no stranger to incarceration dating from his first offense in 1976 for underage drinking, according to the California Department of Corrections. Between 1982 and 1983 he was convicted of 10 separate driving offenses and in 1983 also received a felony assault conviction. He also violated probation for these offenses five times.His other cases involved domestic violence and drug possession for sale. In 1996, he was sentenced to prison for four years on two drug convictions in Contra Costa County. In 2001, he was convicted of two drug possession charges in Santa Clara County and received eight years and eight months. In 1988, in the same county, he received just more than three years in prison for two possession convictions. Henderson was also convicted of perjury. While awaiting sentencing for Siebenmorgen’s death, Henderson picked up a new case which could count as a third strike with a mandatory sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The District Attorney’s Office has yet to decide if it will pursue that option, Gallagher said. On Nov. 29, according to the District Attorney’s Office, Henderson got into a fight with correctional officers conducting a routine search of jail cells after they saw him trying to flush drugs down his cell toilet. One officer suffered a back injury and a complete cell search turned up a stash of prescription drugs hoarded by Henderson to make Pruno, according to prosecutors.He is now charged with new counts of assault, battery against a custodial officer, drug possession and preventing an officer from performing his duties.